1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to floor care appliances. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a bare floor cleaning appliance a foot pedal for raising and lowering the suction nozzle while simultaneously energizing and de-energizing a horizontal axis rotary agitator.
2. Summary of the Prior Art
Floor cleaning appliances having one or more cleaning modes are known in the art. Such appliances include both carpet and bare floor extractors. Typically, such floor cleaning appliances are comprised of a suction nozzle, a suction nozzle height adjustment mechanism, a motor-fan assembly, a liquid recovery system, one or more agitators, and controls for selecting the cleaning mode. One such bare floor cleaning appliance, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,640,386 and incorporated be reference as if fully rewritten herein, has three cleaning modes, namely, wet scrub mode, wet pickup mode and dry pickup mode. The bare floor cleaning appliance is shifted between the various cleaning modes with the use of a slide switch to raise and lower the rotary agitators and to energize the agitator drive motor. Afoot pedal is provided to raise and lower the suction nozzle in relation to the floor surface for proper suction nozzle height as required for some of the cleaning modes. Heretofore unknown in the art is a bare floor cleaning appliance having the plurality of cleaning modes such as those disclosed in the '386 patent wherein the control of the plurality of cleaning modes is accomplished through the use of a single mode selector. The present invention provides such as bare floor cleaning appliance having a plurality of cleaning modes controlled by a single mode selector.
Also heretofore unknown in the art is a bare floor cleaning appliance having a foot pedal for raising and lowering the suction nozzle while simultaneously energizing and de-energizing the independent drive motor powering a horizontal axis rotary agitator. In another aspect of the present invention, a bare floor cleaning appliance is provided with a foot pedal for controlling both the height of the suction nozzle and the energizing and de-energizing of the independent drive motor powering the horizontal axis rotary agitator. The foot pedal is depressed once to lower the suction nozzle to a position closest to the floor surface and the horizontal rotary agitator is energized to clean the floor surface. The foot pedal is depressed one more time to raise the suction nozzle from the floor surface and de-energize the horizontal rotary agitator.
Also known in the art is floor cleaning appliances having an accessory hose and/or wand for cleaning upholstery and the like. However, unknown in the art is a strictly bare floor cleaning appliance having an accessory hose and telescoping wand and cleaning accessories for cleaning other bare surfaces such as tile walls such as shower walls, hard to reach floor areas such as behind toilets, and the grout between tile. The present invention fulfills this need by providing a bare floor cleaner having an accessory hose and telescoping wand and accessories that is connected to the bare floor cleaning appliance through a connection port that connects both suction and cleaning solution to the accessory hose and telescoping wand.
It is an object of the invention to provide a bare floor cleaning appliance.
It is another object of the invention to provide a bare floor cleaning appliance having an accessory hose and telescoping wand.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a bare floor cleaning appliance having plurality of cleaning modes.
It is yet still another object of the invention to provide a cleaning appliance with a pivoting handle for compact storage.
It is another object of the invention to provide a cleaning appliance with a caddy for storing the accessory hose, telescoping wand, accessory tools and cleaning supplies.